Game Design: Tactical Roles and Defense

Following yesterday’s post, here is a list of the mechanical effects of each tactical role. As suggested by my previous entry, I’m building toward a release later this year, so I’m furiously crunching numbers in anticipation.

In addition to providing a fairly standard bonus to-hit against two of the tactical role’s enemies, each role provides a basic reaction-type defense. As I mentioned, these powers are intended to lend some distinction to each tactical role. There are no tanks, strikers, or healers here, just defensive powers that lend themselves to a cause.

Harrier “Dodge”
When an attack misses you, you may reduce the damage to your health by +1 per scope. (Maximum 6 at scale 26.)

Charger “Absorb”
When an attack hits you, you may reduce the damage to your health by +2 per scope. (Maximum 12 at scale 26.)

Keeper “Block”
When an attack hits your ally, you may take the damage to your health in their place. (Your ally suffers the secondary effects of the attack unless otherwise noted.)

Trapper “Counter”
When an attack hits you, you may damage the attacker’s health as though you missed them with an attack. (This power triggers effects as though you missed with an attack.)

Seeker “Negate”
When an attack hits you, you may take extra damage to your health as though hit, to ignore the secondary effects of the attack. (This power doesn’t trigger an attack’s hit effects.)